


a simple proposal

by illea



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Consensual, F/M, Fifty Shades of Grey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24592027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illea/pseuds/illea
Summary: When Angela gets food poisoning on the day she's meant to interview Dr. Carlisle Cullen, Bella steps in.
Relationships: Carlisle Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22
Collections: dim sum drabbles





	a simple proposal

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jessequicksters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessequicksters/gifts).



Doctor Carlisle Cullen was only twenty-six, but he’d done decidedly more with his life in that short time than Bella had. While Bella was still finishing her postgrad degree, Carlisle had built a multi-billion dollar empire. And that was the least impressive part—he’d made absolute shockwaves last year when he donated most of his fortune to various hospitals around the world and then disappeared.

He was notoriously private, rarely granting interviews, but apparently the alumni magazine was an exception. He seemed to have a weak spot for giving back. Angela had been preparing for this interview for weeks only to be undone by some undercooked chicken. Bella had finally agreed to step in when she couldn’t stand Angela’s begging anymore, but she was now regretting that decision.

Bella knocked on Dr. Cullen's front door. His house was moderate but beautiful, all wood and glass and light. She could see a grand piano through one of the massive windows. The door swung open and there he was, in a dress shirt and slacks, though his feet were bare. The pictures Angela had shown her didn’t do him justice. He was gorgeous.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Bella said nervously. Dr. Cullen shook her hand, smiling warmly.

“Likewise, Miss Weber.”

Shit—they hadn’t counted on him paying attention to who was interviewing him, let alone _remembering_.

“Miss Swan, actually” she said nervously. “Miss Weber is unwell.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” he replied. “Though not sorry that you’ve come in her place.”

Bella didn’t know how to reply so she coughed to fill the silence. Dr. Cullen smirked and stepped back.

“Are you comfortable conducting the interview in my study?”

Bella nodded and stepped inside, allowing him to lead the way. He sat at his desk and she settled in the chair opposite.

“So, Dr. Cullen–” she began.

“Please, call me Carlisle.”

Bella nodded and took a deep breath before reading the first question on Angela’s list. 

“How old are you?” 

Dr. Cullen—Carlisle—smiled. He did it often, probably in an attempt to be comforting, but it wasn’t quite genuine enough to work. At least not on her.

“Any good reporter does their due diligence first. Why don’t you tell me how old I am, Miss Swan?”

“Call me Bella,” she replied, suppressing a grin. “And you’re twenty-six.” He mirrored her expression and leaned back in his chair.

“Do you have any questions of your own, Miss Swan?”

Bella leaned forward, weighing the pros and cons of asking what she actually wanted to know.

“Fine. Do you ever regret giving it all away?” she asked. “You work so hard and you have all this success. Besides a nice house, what have you kept for yourself?”

“I find my satisfaction in things other than money,” he murmured. His eyes were like molten gold and Bella felt her body grow hot.

“What kind of things?”

At this Carlisle paused, eyeing her as if considering something.

“Will you join me for dinner, Miss Swan?”

“Why?”

“I have a proposal for you.”

Bella nodded and carried out the rest of the interview as quickly as she could. Angela would kill her for the chicken scratch in her notebook, but Bella had other priorities. She shut the notebook and stood up, waiting for Carlisle to round the desk and join her.

“Shall we?” he asked.

He lifted his hand and held it inches away from Bella’s lower back, as if hoping to guide her by some invisible force. Bella grasped his hand and pressed it against her lower back, the heat of his skin soaking through her sweater.

“Lead the way.”

**Author's Note:**

> (prompts: Carlisle Cullen, proposal)
> 
> This was written as part of a flash fic challenge with [jessequicksters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessequicksters/) where we choose a fandom/character and trope/scenario out of a box. I would love to blame this one on the prompts, but we've been re-watching the movies and that scene where Carlisle stitches Bella has been seared into my brain.


End file.
